United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) Shares Sold by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund lowered its position in shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 980,536 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 77,408 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.12% of United Parcel Service worth $154,170,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in UPS. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 17,530 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,756,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. First Financial Corp IN lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 334 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. lifted its position in United Parcel Service by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 6,351 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $999,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 15,085 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,351,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Dfpg Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Dfpg Investments LLC now owns 25,270 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,981,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 1.9 %

UPS traded up $2.79 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $148.15. 3,286,887 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,307,514. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a one year low of $133.68 and a one year high of $197.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $126.32 billion, a PE ratio of 19.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $149.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $151.10.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The transportation company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $21.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.84 billion. United Parcel Service had a return on equity of 39.46% and a net margin of 7.37%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.20 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.40%. This is an increase from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. United Parcel Service’s payout ratio is 83.70%.

Insider Transactions at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto bought 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,220. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on UPS. Argus downgraded shares of United Parcel Service from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $150.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $183.00 to $179.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $154.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $153.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.61.

United Parcel Service Profile

United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of express letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.